


MEMORIES

by JohnnySilverhand



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Corpo V (Cyberpunk 2077), Cyberpunk, Minor Violence, Smoking, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28267773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnnySilverhand/pseuds/JohnnySilverhand
Summary: A retelling of V experiencing Johnny’s memories and in turn Johnny seeing V’s. A story told from both sides  (Contains Spoilers)
Kudos: 13





	MEMORIES

V pants and catches her breath on the dark sidewalk. Rain coats the ground making it shiny and almost a perfect black mirror of the neon skyline of night city. The smell of exhaust fills her nose as the Delamain cab zooms down the street and out of sight, Jackie Well’s body in tow.

_Hopefully Vik would fix him up...if that was even possible. If anything he could at least make him look presentable for his family before they see him in that state._

V’s mind races. So much had happened and the deceased body of her best friend laying in the back of that cab was permanently ingrained in her brain. She starts making her way down the darkened concrete street, her legs wobbling underneath her. Now was no time to get unprofessional she had a job to complete: get this stupid chip to DeShawn and get the hell out of dodge.  
  
The ‘No-Tell Motel’ a sleazy joint run by AI’s. V had always heard of it as the place where her ex-corpo peers would bring their mistresses but never figured that she too would desperately want to be inside the safety of a shitty motel room. After seeing Yorinobu strangle the most powerful man in the city-his father- and blaming her for it, anyone in her shoes would want to be in a place that was good at keeping secrets. Her boots clang against the metal steps as she trudges up to the door marked ‘204’. Without hesitation she bangs her battered and bloody fist on the door. “Lemme in, it’s me.” She says her voice serious and dark, hiding her hurting heart.

A tall man with sunglasses and silver face cyberware opens the door. His eyes hidden behind the dark reflective surfaces. V recognizes him as DeShawn’s personal driver and bodyguard.  
  
“He waitin’.” The bodyguard says in a thick accent and steps aside. V enters the dimly lit hotel room, the only major light sources being the flickering yellow fluorescents and the neon signs across the street. V breathes and heads through the beaded curtain, not caring to brush the strands aside but simply letting them wash over her. The room is a mess. Cans, empty bottles, and various clothes scatter the floor and chairs. Must have been a luxury to sit back and watch while people were murdered. In the main room Deshawn stands pressed up against the TV- almost nose to screen- his hand gripping the top. He mutters to himself not seemingly noticing V’s entrance. 

“WNS...N54...Even the pirate networks.” His gold cybernetic arm waves his cuban cigar around. “You’re blowin’ up everywhere.” He puffs some smoke onto the TV screen contempt in his voice. V keeps her composure.

_No shit, I stole top secret Araska tech and was also present for the murder of it’s CEO. No idea why they would have it out for me!_

She wants to snap back but holds the sassy remark in her throat. “And the Jackster? He out in the car?” The large man barely turns to look V in the eye. His glasses are the same as the bodyguard’s, dark and blocking any sort of eye contact, a protective shield from looking someone in the goddamn eyes. “You don’t care to know how Jackie is?” V crosses her arms. DeShawn looks up from the TV, his shades black mirrors that reflect back V’s own terrified eyes. “Tone- you’d best watch it.” The fixer puffs smoke into her face like an angry dragon. V’s upper lip stiffins and she glares back at him, her face becoming a chilled anger.

“Bled out in the backseat. Dead” _And what a shitty way to go._ V growls in the back of her throat. Deshawn crosses his arms “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” no sign of any emotion in his voice whatsoever. To him, V was sure this was just another expected casualty of a job which in all regards was usually expected. But this job was supposed to be easy. In and out, no one gets hurt. But everyone did. Jackie...T-Bug...even a whole platoon of hotel security that V is sure didn’t mean to get caught up in the beginning of another potential corporate war.

“And the Relic?” Deshawn breaks V from her train of thought. She huffs through her nose and her shoulder tense. Of course, the job wasn’t over yet. As soon as she gets rid of this thing the better. “Got it right here.” She gives him a sardonic smile and taps two fingers to her temple. Right before he had died Jackie had shoved the Relic into V’s port. Deshawns neutral expression falls into a frown as smoke trickles out of his mouth. “Hm I was afraid of that…” He paces across the floor, the lights eclipsing his form into one hulking shape. “Saburo Araska? Dead…?! You got any notion of the shit you’ve pulled me into?!” V’s head follows Deshawn as he rants. He then comes back towards her, her legs already petrified to move. He waves his arms about in frustration, smoke following his cigar. “You offed the fuckin’ emperor! HIS MAJESTY!” He was so close now that V could smell the smoke and stale whiskey on his breath, and the only things in her vision was him and the red ring of neon light that lit him like an unholy halo. After taking another drag of his cigar luckily Deshawn turns around and continues pacing. V’s heart was beating like an untamed drummer in her chest, but if corpo life had taught her anything, sometimes you have to stand there and let higher ups get it out of their system. “Anyone with so much as a pinky toe dipped in this mess is as good as dead!” He growls.

V thinks back to the assets they have left: the client, the Relic, and the potential cash flow from selling it. “Gotta leave night city.” she says in a strategic manner, now isn’t the time to panic it’s the time to make plans. With a deadpan expression DeShawn says in a stale tone “You don’t say.” his cigar clenched between his teeth. “Ring Evelyn. We close the deal, collect our cut and drop off the radar.” That’s the usual procedure and it has worked for V many times. Lay low for a while and another vicious murder will happen in Night City that is guaranteed to be more distracting. The Fixer sits on the leather bench seat near the window, the material squeaking under his weight. “Alright settle down. Gotta be tactical about this.” He takes a drag from his cigar in thought. V carefully moves to be in front of him. Slowly she lowers herself onto the edge of the coffee table making it a makeshift chair. 

Deshawn breathes out smoke. “Parker, eddies, then we leave the city limits behind. But first…” He gestures his gold hand at V’s face “Your face...got blood all over it.” V takes a second and runs a finger down her cheek. She stares down at it….Her hand is stained with blood... _Jackie’s_ blood. Her stomach turns. “Bathroom’s there. Go get yourself cleaned up.” Deshawn points with his human hand at a door behind V. She swallows and turns, careful not to get anymore blood anywhere, she clicks the small blue open button set into the door’s metal. The door slides with a hydraulic hiss. 

The bathroom has no lighting save for a dim over mirror light. Which illuminates the bathroom’s dark green undertones. Graffiti from various gangs and punks around town litter the walls and V could swear her boot got a piece of a torn up Braindance Bar pamphlet stuck to the bottom of it. Her reflection comes into view as she steps up to the mirror, her hands bracing the sink edge as she peers into her own angry eyes. Her face and suit smeared with red. She couldn’t help but shake her head in disbelief. She looks just like she did the day Arasaka fired her, except this time the blood is visible and it’s of someone who actually meant something to her. “ _I’m sorry_ _Jackie._ ” She mumbles to herself and washes the blood away from her hands and face. V looks back in the mirror. _Maybe if I had been more careful. Maybe...Jackie and T-Bug would still be alive._ She grits her teeth and stares at her shaking hand. In a fit of rage at herself, at DeShawn, at Arasaka, at the world, she drives her fist into the mirror. It doesn’t do much, mirrors in Night City are expected to get punched but it tears up her knuckles. She looks at herself and pities the woman who looks back. 

Gathering herself V heads back into the main room. “Alright then.” DeShawn now standing near the TV again. V takes a breath to explain her plan but the wind is quickly knocked from her as the bodyguard unexpectedly clocks her in the head. Her optics go dark as her vision comes in and out. She feels her body drop to the floor. She forces her eyes open only to see the bottom of the bodyguard’s come from nowhere. Her vision is red but darkens again. She opens her mouth to try and reason with them but all too late she realizes: _I’ve been duped.  
_

Her vision flickers back on and Deshawn stacks towards her, his pistol in hand. “Can’t risk it Miss V. You remember our first convo?” V spits out blood. “I’ll fucking kill you!” her voice comes with pure fire but is broken and hoarse. The Fixer raises his pistol to right in between V’s eyes, her body too weak to move. “Seems I’ve chosen the quiet life.” Deshawn says in his ‘it’s only business.’ tone of voice. “No blaze o’ glory for me.” Without hesitation the gunshot rings out and V’s optics flash wild colors. And then nothing. Darkness. Flatlined. With no hope of Trauma Team.

That was...until she took a breath.  
  



End file.
